When the party ended and everyone went home, Silver and her herd accompanied Twilight to her room, and casually invited themselves in. Silver helped Twilight into bed as Twilight still looked jittery and frazzled. "Twilight, we want to talk to you."
Twilight perked an ear. "Can it wait? I'm... No... go ahead."
Fast trotted up and sat beside the bed. "We wanted you to know, now that everypony else is out of earshot, that if you want to not get married, we're completely alright with that."
Night took up vigil at the other side. "We've had to stand up for Silver being bossed around before, this is no different. Marriage shouldn't be something you do for someone else."
Silver nodded softly as she gazed at Twilight with a fond look in her eyes. "I would have to admit I don't really love you if I forced you like that... We've been over this, remember? I still have that favor. I'll use it right now. I want you to do what's best for you, not me, not Fast, not Night, not Celestia, or anyone else, just you, for once. Do that and we're even."
Twilight cracked a bit of a smile, voice quivering with uncertainty. "But how can I get away? Celestia and Cadance are coming!"
Night shook her head, speaking with confidence. "That works to your benefit. Cadance is already tired of Celestia manipulating Silver. If you tell her, flatly, that you do not wish to be wed, she will do everything in her power to put a stop to it. Wasn't she your foalsitter?"
Twilight sat up in bed, frazzled hair flopping about. "It's... not that I don't want to be part of you three, but not like this. I don't want another huge spectacle made of my life. I don't want all the attention this will bring to Ponyville." She scrunched her face. "I don't want to deal with the inevitable drama that will explode during the wedding itself."
Fast hopped onto the bed without invitation and flopped out beside Twilight. She gathered up Twilight in her hooves and started rocking Twilight back and forth. "We're here for you, official wedding or not. We already invited you to the herd, don't forget. We didn't."
Night bobbed her head in agreement before she peered out the closest window into the darkness. "I expect Luna will appear with a seventy percent chance. If she doesn't, her agents have an equal chance of appearing instead. She will not ignore this." Night pointed at Silver. "You hold Luna's hopes for the future in that womb of yours."
Silver folded her ears back. "So? I'm giving her what she wants. What more does she need?"
Twilight jerked a bit in Fast's grip as realization hit her. "She's going to want to make sure you... get around."
Silver made a face and shuddered. "Oh god no! I'm not cheating on my herd for her benefit... Besides, mare or not, I don't want to get under a stallion anyway."
Night looked at Silver calculatingly. "I think you are lying to yourself again."
Silver recoiled, but Night continued. "I've seen you gaze dreamily at several stallions."
Silver thudded to the ground on her slightly-bulged belly. "Hormones and instincts do not make up a mind. I will not be gay for Braeburn."
Twilight blinked softly. "What's Applejack's relative have to do with anything? Why wouldn't you be happy for him?"
Fast giggled at Twilight's naivety and snuggled her all the more firmly. "Silver means being a colt cuddler."
Twilight didn't look any more convinced. "But she's a she. It wouldn't be colt cuddling."
Night rolled her eyes behind her thick glasses. "Let's not get mired in these labels, since they fit our little group extremely poorly. Even you, your majesty. Was your laying with Silver filly fooling?"
Twilight looked stuck a moment. "No! Yes? Maybe... I... really don't know."
Night gave an almost smug nod. "Exactly. We're all kind of bisexual in all meanings of the word. The point remains, Luna will want Silver to produce foal from different fathers."
Silver shook her head firmly. "Well she can wait. I still want to be a stallion again, and even if, if, I didn't, I'd sooner spend time with each of you in turn before I considered anypony else. Besides, I won't want another foal just after the first. Who does that?"
Twilight raised a hoof. "Somepony trying to spawn a new bloodline of ponies?"
Silver sagged.
Fast thumped the bed ineffectively. "We're getting distracted. This is about Twilight, and weddings. We can beat Luna off with a stick later. She can't do much with Silver already getting fat. Twilight, what's the deal? Do you want to get married? If so, we go ahead with it, but don't lie to us, or yourself. Look deep inside and decide."
Twilight sank down onto her bed. "Right now, I want to sleep. Thank you, all of you, for being understanding." She hesitated a moment, then let out a sigh. "If you want to stay here, this one time..." Fast curled up against Twilight, spooning her without regret. Silver and Night soon joined them, and they faded to sleep together.
Silver felt the warmth of the sun beating down on her. Big Mac was working hard, pulling a plow through the earth. Though he made it look easy, Silver could see the impressive and bulging muscles that were at work that made the feat possible. He labored on in stoic silence, doing what had to be done to care for his family, and Silver could understand those feelings.
She was beside him then. She could smell his sweat, his fur, and so much more. He smelled good. She walked along as he worked. Neither said anything. Nothing needed to be said. Silver felt content to simply be in the presence of this living symbol of her own quietness that she didn't get to express often in this hectic world. His power felt protective, and his physique was exciting her.
"All done." Big Mac shrugged off the harness that bound him to the plow, then he turned towards Silver. "Your turn."
She did have some fertile fields. Surely he could plow and seed them just as well as the farm's lands. She grew warmer by the moment, gazing at him with building desire. There was some hesitation deep within her, but it had little hope before the seemingly-overwhelming force that held her still. Her fields were plowed well.
Silver startled awake, drenched with cold sweat. She half-fell out of the otherwise-empty bed and saw that it was well into the morning. She hurried to the shower to wash the remains of the dream from her and prepare for a new day, but thinking about not thinking about something was often worse than just thinking about it. "Ugh, why Big Mac? What would we even talk about?" She stepped free of the shower and got to drying herself, a long and arduous task on the best of days. "Of course, we wouldn't talk at all. He would just... be..."
Fast poked her head in. "Talking to yourself? You must be more stressed than I gave credit for."
Silver jumped in surprise, and slid to the smoothly-tiled floor gracelessly. "I didn't hear you coming."
Fast smiled as she approached. "Hard to hear over yourself, huh? So what's got you worked up? Twilight?"
Silver gathered herself up. "No... I had a dream."
Fast perked an ear. "A nightmare?"
Silver shivered, but shook her head. "Not really. Nothing... bad... happened."
Fast perked the other ear, now both raised. "Out with it, what was it about?"
Silver began to describe the dream, but didn't get far before Fast burst into giggles. "Big MacIntosh? Really?"
Silver flushed dark. "I'm trying to get some support here..."
Fast nodded quickly as she moved up to rub against Silver's side. "Sorry for laughing, please, continue."
Silver hesitated, but did resume her tale, skipping over describing certain parts in any great detail.
Fast shrugged. "I don't mean to belittle, but that sounds like a normal enough dream, well, if you were used to being a mare. But that aside, Cadance is downstairs."
Silver perked up at the news. She tried a quick haphazard spell. She knew how to gather heat from her fireball spell, so she did just that, using only a single heat and several area symbols while trying to control the level at which it manifested. Her fur quickly dried out and she was left warm all over.
Fast blinked as she backed up. "Did you just make a new spell, again? Girl, you freak me out sometimes."
Silver smiled. "Well, it would either work, or I'd have lit myself on fire. Let's go see Cadance."
They trotted lightly side-by-side and descended to the main hall. Cadance was seated across from Twilight and Night. Cadance was smiling, Twilight looked nervous. Cadance spotted Silver instantly. "Ah, there she is. Silver, please join us."
Silver moved up to sit beside Twilight and Night. Fast sat on the other side of Twilight. Cadance looked over the four carefully. Her keen eyes could see the tangled network between them. The strength of them varied, with some still clearly developing, and their colors varying subtly. This did not bother her. "I see a lovely family. Twilight, are you happy?"
Twilight blinked at the question. "Happy? With?"
Cadance reached across and ran a hoof through Twilight's mane. "This. You have formed a united front without any prompting. You are a part of this."
Fast frowned and pawed at the cushion she was on. "That's no excuse to push her into things."
Cadance perked an ear. "Push? Who said anything about that?"
Twilight quickly produced Celestia's letter and floated it over to Cadance. "Take a look at this."
Cadance scanned her eyes over it quickly. "Auntie has a lousy sense of humor." Her eyes settled back on the four before her. "This is a warning. You were careless, and if it becomes public knowledge that you're doing what you're doing, then it will become a reality. Well, except the part about inviting me, that was true."
All four relaxed together. Silver leaned forward. "It's really nice to see you again."
Cadance gave Silver a little nuzzle, rubbing noses. "You are looking well! Has Ponyville been kind to you?"
Night nodded for Silver. "Except the time we were attacked over dinner, we've all been doing well here."
Cadance frowned at the news. "Attacked?"
Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. "We handled that! Everything's OK."
Cadance let out a slow breath. "If you're sure." She looked to Twilight pointedly. "You should take this warning to heart. If you wish to continue, do it fully, otherwise, this is the last chance to back away. I suggest announcing an engagement if you are proceeding. That will make your activities less rushed and forced, and allow you all to be together publicly without outcry."
Silver suddenly had a thought. "Cadance? Can you give us a little blessing?"
Cadance looked utterly baffled. "You already have my blessings. I hope you are all happy."
Silver shook her head quickly. "No, uh... I meant your magic." She pointed at Fast. "I was just thinking about your love magic, and how it healed me and, uh... Do you think it'd help our foals?"
Cadance tilted her head and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think it would do much. You both already love your foals dearly, and they are not harmed, are they? I don't know what the love could do. I don't want to experiment on them."
Fast laughed suddenly. "Congratulations, you're already better than Luna."
Cadance frowned and clopped the table once with a hoof. "Don't be mean to Auntie Luna. She's trying her best. She writes about you, Silver, and you too, Night. She misses you both, and she's terribly sorry it worked out the way it did." She let out a slow breath. "I blame myself. I told her it would turn out this way and I relented in the end. She wanted so much to be a part of... this." Cadance gestured over the herd, Twilight included.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Let's get back on topic. So you're just here to visit and check on us?"
Cadance nodded. "Precisely so, and to help you with any arrangements, if you are moving forward. Other than that, this is a leisurely visit. The Crystal Fair went well and the kingdom is safe without me for a little while. Shining is handling things for me. So don't think of me as a visiting princess, but as a friend, because that is exactly what I am."
I think Braeburn is already gay for Soarin.
On her "slightly-bulged" belly.
Okay, that name is chuckle-worthy, but I really feel like it should be "filly fondling" instead. Maybe "filly diddling"? "Filly fingering"? No, they don't have fingers. "Filly fu-," er, nevermind.
To produce "foals" from different fathers.
She still wants to be a stallion again, "and" even if she didn't...
The "seemingly-overwhelming" force "that" held her still.
The floor is "smoothly-tiled."
This isn't an error per se, but you don't mention that Night is there when describing the room that Silver and Fast entered, which makes it awkward that she's suddenly there when Silver sits down in this sentence.
It'd allow them to proceed "publicly" without outcry.
5865279 Fixes were rained down upon the typos. It was very effective.
5865309 Things proceed on their not-so-smooth course in this chapter, with several new bumps cropping up even as others wind down.
To start with the most obvious, there's the issue of Luna wanting Silver to sleep around. That's not an immediate concern, for reasons that were outlined - her pregnancy, her herd having plenty of willing partners for the immediate future, plus her desire to become a "he" again - but it is going to come up at some point, and when it does I doubt Luna is going to take "no" for an answer. One way or the other, Silver has been cast in the role of progenitor, and it's one Luna won't allow to slide.
It's on that note that I'm somewhat suspicious of Silver's sex dream about Big Mac. Isn't that the sort of thing that Luna would do, especially since we know that she's been subtly altering Silver's body? On the other hand, my suspicion is that Luna had nothing to do with that particular dream - Silver has been eyeing several stallions for a while now, and dreams are where repressed desires (such as from hormones) find their outlet. In fact, I'll bet that Silver wishes that she can blame it on Luna, since that'd be much easier than having to admit that she desires to be under a stallion. (As it stands, I loved the pun with Big Mac with regards to "plowing fields." That was quite amusing!)
I feel bad for how Luna's going to react when she sees the new herd, because seeing Silver, Night, Fast, and most of all Twilight, all living happily together as a loving family, is absolutely going to destroy her. Seeing that the ones she love, the ones who abandoned her, have found happiness without her is going to hurt her dearly. Seeing that they did so with a princess, however, is going to make it so much worse. Because having a princess there will drive home the fact that it wasn't political or social differences that drove them apart - it was herself. Even Silver's emotional problems aren't to blame, since she's been able to make it work with the others. What drove Luna out of the herd was Luna: seeing them together will make that undeniable, and I suspect that will cause her heart to break all over again.
On another topic is how the wedding isn't apparently about to happen after all. Cadance's telling them that Celestia's letter was a (rather sarcastic) warning was quite apropos, since otherwise it felt like too much too fast. Indeed, her idea of them announcing an engagement was quite brilliant, since it would indeed give them some breathing room while at the same time explaining the situation to the public (and thus defuse any potential scandal...at least insofar to her shacking up with so many other mares). That does still commit them, but at this point the four of them do seem to be committed; Twilight was very honest when she noted that her anxiety was with regards to the spectacle that would be created more than anything else.
As it is, Cadance's suggestion seems like the bare-minimum that can be done, in terms of softening the social impact of Twilight's joining a herd. Everything, absolutely everything about their relationship is non-traditional - from the lack of a stallion to the ambiguous gender roles of its members (and the attendant questions of one member being a father to one foal and a mother to another) to the out-of-wedlock conception of Twilight's heir (presuming that's a thing) - is going to push the boundaries of what's acceptable, even by the relaxed standards of Equestria. Twilight may not want to be responsible for bringing down all of that on her friends and her home, but as Cadance noted, some of this simply can't be avoided.
They have some breathing room now, but I suspect not nearly as much as they'd like to think.
the little herd forming really needs this talk with Cadance, Twilight needs time to think about what she is really feeling.
to be honest I am giving a wedding a 65% of happening and twilight joining the herd 70%.
I am hoping but lets weight and see.
Harts Fire
5865508 You made me get sad for Luna. I really do like her, even if I may give the impression otherwise at times. She is awesome, and I don't want her to be sad, bah. Darn you virtual life! Why doesn't my story listen to me?!
There was some hesitation deep within her, but it had little hope before the seemingly-overwhelming force the held her still.
Do you mean "that"
Silver started awake, drenched with cold sweat.
Correction: Silver startled awake, drenched with cold sweat.
Silver began to describe the dream, but didn't get far before Fast burst into giggles. "Big McIntosh? Really?"
Correction: Silver began to describe the dream, but didn't get far before Fast burst into giggles. "Big Macintosh? Really?"
She gathered up Twilight in her hooves and started rocking Twilight back and forth.
This video is the one that came to mind.
Starting at 1:42
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a117Y3KmRDI]
6577445 Fixes made.
All six instances of comma space quote are action tags; use a period instead.
6830878 Fixed!
6577457 Well at least Fast didn't light a funeral pyre.
6830888 "...will not be gay for Braeburn" Should that read "gay like Braeburn" Otherwise a little confused on that statement or I have missed/forgotten something?
6930809 It's a meme: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/everypony's-gay-for-braeburn
After my last comment, thank heavens this chapter went the way it did.